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Southern Cross Credit Union opens Financial Service Centre in Tweed Heads

Announcement posted by Southern Cross Credit Union 13 Feb 2017

Following a successful period of growth and expansion and the opening of its Corporate Service Centre in Kingscliff, Southern Cross Credit Union has opened the first of their new Financial Service Centres in Tweed City. The opening continues their strategic investment in service channels to meet the changing needs of customers and the community.

 

The project team at SCCU, led by CEO Stuart Edwards, were guided by their belief in building and maintaining meaningful relationships with their customers.

“At a time when many financial institutions are working on delivering new branch concepts and digitising the in branch customer experience, we’re making a deliberate shift away from this to put one thing first – people.”

“Our new Financial Service Centre is not high tech, you won’t see huge digital screens. It’s also not a billboard, so you won’t see posters or a stands full of flyers. What you will see is a place where people and conversations are at the heart of the customer experience, because we believe the future of banking is in people and relationships.”

The team at the Financial Service Centre will include high performance specialists with a deep understanding of all of our financial products. These specialists will be able to service the entire banking needs of our customers without needing to refer them elsewhere in the organisation.

“We consider this a key competitive advantage in today’s environment, and is the kind of personalised service consumers are demanding”, explains Mr Edwards.

In creating the Financial Service Centre, Southern Cross Credit Union wanted to design a space unlike any other financial service provider. To achieve this they utilised the services of VIOTO Architects to help bring their vision to reality.

 

“Key objectives of the design included drawing customers and the community into the branch by creating an environment where they feel comfortable and an aesthetic that reflects the beauty and diversity of the Northern Rivers region. We set out to create an environment that doesn’t just reflect the community, but becomes part of the community.”

 

“A focus on self-service, digital banking has alienated customers. We want people coming into our Financial Service Centre to feel at home and comfortable to discuss their financial situation with us.”

 

Key features of Southern Cross Credit Union’s Financial Service Centre include:

 

  • Dedicated specialists for personal banking and lending – highly skilled, trained team to service banking needs end to end

  • iPad Roundtable – internet access for internet banking, searching for property and accessing financial resources

  • Meeting rooms – for private financial conversations

  • Free Cash Withdrawals – customers can choose to make cash withdrawals in the Financial Service Centre or via the ATM, free of charge

  • Coin machine – quick and easy coin deposit offered free for our customers

  • Customer lounge – including shopfront bench seating and free Wi-Fi

  • Shared customer experience – sharing the banking experience together rather than through screens or over a counter

 

Mr Edwards said the Financial Service Centre design and philosophy will be progressively rolled out at other locations and is flexible to meet needs at both street facing and shopping centre locations.

 

“We are excited about the future and the transformation of our network. We look forward to continuing to provide our customers with market leading, five star service and products through investment in our physical, digital and mobile platforms.”